GDT: Free Agent Frenzy!

[Chainshot]

Right now, it sure seems/feels like Rousek is starting as the 13th forward.

Based on his last recall, I can see that being in the works. He’s fast and he doesn’t dog plays. Seth will go to bat for him and I think he’ll play for Seth the way he did down in Rochester. Use the speed, Harry the puck, everybody wins.

 

[Cirris]

I hate Twitter/X

Too many troll accounts just clickbaiting the crap out of you like Eklund on steroids.

I end up coming here to doublecheck and see it's BS.

"big buffalo & Winnipeg trade incoming"

Bull$&^%^ttttt


/ps I know it's going to be BS. But......

 

[Mattilaus]

Yeah cause ONE GUY is going to make the difference of making the playoffs or not.

You know we missed by 1 point last year right? I think 1 good addition getting a few goals here and there could have ABSOLUTELY made the difference.

 

[ValJamesDuex]

Eh, Lafferty, Malenstyn and Aube-Kubel work. I would like one more, though that might just be King of Prague Rousek.

I meant for the 3rd line

 

[NotABadPeriod]

https://x.com/i/web/status/1808224519703699673

Probably the right move picking taking passes from McDavid over those two, but still, Toronto getting snubbed by a hometown guy makes me smile.

 

[buffalowing88]

I've been beating the drum for Krebs to take on the 3C forever but now that it's a reality, I'm a bit scared.

I'm more concerned about Zucker being on the second line, though. That's far less enticing.

 

[TheDawnOfANewTage]

I've been beating the drum for Krebs to take on the 3C forever but now that it's a reality, I'm a bit scared.

I'm more concerned about Zucker being on the second line, though. That's far less enticing.

I was told Pegula isn’t cheap, and cutting Skinner wasn’t about saving money.

Then we get Zucker for a year.

I don’t get how people still drink the kool-aid or remain optimistic about ownership and the moves made. Individual players, sure, but Pegula is just treading water until he can sell at higher valuation in 2 years or so.

 

[Push Dr Tracksuit]

I like how 1 of the most discussed you must do this moves is now just pegula is cheap.

These boards are such a disaster.

 

[debaser66]

The last bolded part is dead on for me. Most people thought that he should bring in a top 6 forward or a top 4 dman, and now they're grading him against their own expectations. KA said he would be aggressive, he did not say which pieces he would be aggressive for, and as I previously mentioned he told us where he wanted to add.

He thinks his top 6 and top 4 are good enough. He's assembled a true grinding line. He acquired legit goalie depth.

So in my mind the interesting debates for his roster construction are the following:

1. Are the top 6 forwards good enough? (Tage/Tuch/Peterka/Cozens/Quinn/Benson)
2. Are the top 4 dmen good enough?
3. Can Krebs handle the 3C role? (I was going to ask "Is it smart that KA assumes he'll be able to handle that role", but I think we know what everyone's response to that would be)

Just thinking about #1, I like the top 6. I think Benson is gonna blow up, people may think I'm delusional but I think he's a 60 point player this year. And Quinn was my prediction for our breakout player last year before he got injured. So if (and that's a big if), they can stay healthy, there's a very real chance that Skinner's and Mitts' production can be compensated by those two.

How can Benson & Quinn compensate for Mitts?
They are not Centers

 

[Beerz]

I was told Pegula isn’t cheap, and cutting Skinner wasn’t about saving money.

Then we get Zucker for a year.

I don’t get how people still drink the kool-aid or remain optimistic about ownership and the moves made. Individual players, sure, but Pegula is just treading water until he can sell at higher valuation in 2 years or so.

Lol .. he isn't selling. He is grooming his daughter to take over.

 

[HaNotsri]

Yeah cause ONE GUY is going to make the difference of making the playoffs or not.

Yes. Do you realize how competetive the conference is?
We have a low end 1C and an ok 2C. Cozens is pretty durable, Thompson is not.

We can't compete with the firepower of other teams so we need to win the other matchups. Is Krebs capable of that? No.

 

[Fjordy]

Yes. Do you realize how competetive the conference is?
We have a low end 1C and an ok 2C. Cozens is pretty durable, Thompson is not.

We can't compete with the firepower of other teams so we need to win the other matchups. Is Krebs capable of that? No.

Marty blasted Adams, saying that Krebs wasn't a 3C and that Adams didn't add the top 6 w.

 

[Dubi Doo]

I was told Pegula isn’t cheap, and cutting Skinner wasn’t about saving money.

Then we get Zucker for a year.

I don’t get how people still drink the kool-aid or remain optimistic about ownership and the moves made. Individual players, sure, but Pegula is just treading water until he can sell at higher valuation in 2 years or so.

Because Skinner is lazy, showed signs of aging, and had years of making 9 million left on his contract. Tough to pay that for a depreciating asset who was hardly ever worth that salary to begin with.

If you want to do a 1-for-1 comparison, Zucker is harder to play against (way more physical), can move around the LU and find a role, and isn't a lazy ass. Skinner is a scoring line; high O Zone start player (if there's anything left in the tank, which remains to be seen). Ruff and Adams have preached 'harder to play against' since Ruff was hired, so here's my surprised Pikachu face that they dropped their worst defensive forward and a lazy ass who is signed like a premium forward.

I'm not even sure they cared to do a one-for-one swap. They just wanted to get out of that awful contract that was aging like milk. I'm happy Skinner is in Edmonton, though. If there's one team that can find a role for him- it's them. He'll get an elite center to feed him pucks around the net, and he should be productive for them. It wasn't happening in Buffalo, and I'm glad were out from under that god awful contract.

 

[TageGod]

I've been beating the drum for Krebs to take on the 3C forever but now that it's a reality, I'm a bit scared.

I'm more concerned about Zucker being on the second line, though. That's far less enticing.

Why? He has done literally nothing to inspire confidence.

Marty blasted Adams, saying that Krebs wasn't a 3C and that Adams didn't add the top 6 w.

100%

 

[Jim Bob]

https://x.com/i/web/status/1808224519703699673

Probably the right move picking taking passes from McDavid over those two, but still, Toronto getting snubbed by a hometown guy makes me smile.

I wonder where they play him in their lineup. I can't imagine that they move Hyman off of McDavid's line.

Would Hyman-McDavid-Skinner work?

It is crazy how many line combos they used last season.

 

[jc17]

I'm hoping Krebs will get a boost from the new mentality of the team. Felt like he tried to bring energy fighting and stuff, but would always be met with apathy from the bench. Even if he is the 3C, maybe having a more energized bottom line will help him find more consistency in those aspects of the game as well.

 

[TageGod]

I'm hoping Krebs will get a boost from the new mentality of the team. Felt like he tried to bring energy fighting and stuff, but would always be met with apathy from the bench. Even if he is the 3C, maybe having a more energized bottom line will help him find more consistency in those aspects of the game as well.

If he can swing for a top 6 winger, Krebs and the young blood can duke it out for 3C. I think 3C is much easier to acquire though. Also more important to fill. Benson and Zucker can handle a top 6 role short term, they can leave the top 6 spot as competition motivation where the best player moves up with Cozens and Quinn,

 

[Digable5]

I was told Pegula isn’t cheap, and cutting Skinner wasn’t about saving money.

Then we get Zucker for a year.

I don’t get how people still drink the kool-aid or remain optimistic about ownership and the moves made. Individual players, sure, but Pegula is just treading water until he can sell at higher valuation in 2 years or so.

If Pegula is cheap, why did he pay Skinner 2/3 of his money due to play for someone else and overpay Zucker at $5M? How much is he really saving this year? $2M?

If he was trying to be cheap, why doesn't he just replace Skinner with one of the bazillion prospects on ELC's they have? I'm so sick of this narrative. Golisano was cheap and demanded the team only break even. People didn't complain because Regier/Ruff kept the team in the playoffs.

Pegula was willing to lose money (and tank) to stop the cycle of mediocrity. It hasn't gone to plan, but its not a lack of resources from the ownership. Past owners would not have fired coaches with years remaining on contracts. Past owners would not have paid big dollars to buy out contracts with years left on them. Past owners would not have paid FA like Leino, Okposo and Hall. Past owners wouldn't pay to keep Briere AND Drury. Pegula has handed out big contracts to Skinner, Thompson, Cozens, Dahlin, Power, etc...

Enough is enough. Complain about the players, the coaching, the GM, but enough of blaming ownership on things you don't have any evidence to complain about. You base the GMs decisions on ownership despite nothing to actually back that up.

 

[Jim Bob]

If Pegula is cheap, why did he pay Skinner 2/3 of his money due to play for someone else and overpay Zucker at $5M? How much is he really saving this year? $2M?

If he was trying to be cheap, why doesn't he just replace Skinner with one of the bazillion prospects on ELC's they have? I'm so sick of this narrative. Golisano was cheap and demanded the team only break even. People didn't complain because Regier/Ruff kept the team in the playoffs.

Pegula was willing to lose money (and tank) to stop the cycle of mediocrity. It hasn't gone to plan, but its not a lack of resources from the ownership. Past owners would not have fired coaches with years remaining on contracts. Past owners would not have paid big dollars to buy out contracts with years left on them. Past owners would not have paid FA like Leino, Okposo and Hall. Past owners wouldn't pay to keep Briere AND Drury. Pegula has handed out big contracts to Skinner, Thompson, Cozens, Dahlin, Power, etc...

Enough is enough. Complain about the players, the coaching, the GM, but enough of blaming ownership on things you don't have any evidence to complain about. You base the GMs decisions on ownership despite nothing to actually back that up.

Pegula is paying Skinner $2.4M this year when he was scheduled to make $10M pre-buyout.

So, buying out Skinner and replacing him with Zucker is saving Pegula $2.6M in cash this season.

 

[Digable5]

Pegula is paying Skinner $2.4M this year when he was scheduled to make $10M pre-buyout.

So, buying out Skinner and replacing him with Zucker is saving Pegula $2.6M in cash this season.

That's only $600k more than I said, and doesn't change the fact that he will still need to pay 2/3 of Skinner's contract to play for someone else; eventually. He would save another $4M to have that spot filled by Savoie or Kulich.

And there are enough rumors out their to suggest they tried to get a Necas, Ehlers, Buchnevich and the trading team was asking for too much in assets. Its not that they weren't willing to pay them in salary. Acquiring any of them would have cost plenty in a new contract.

Its not the money they want to save with Skinner's buyout. They want to fill his roster spot with someone better. If they couldn't get a trade partner, they at least have someone in Zucker that can play the 3rd line minutes that Skinner was getting to end the season. Skinner didn't have a top 6 role when the season ended and now we have someone that could play top 6 or bottom 6 much better.

 

[OkimLom]

The last bolded part is dead on for me. Most people thought that he should bring in a top 6 forward or a top 4 dman, and now they're grading him against their own expectations. KA said he would be aggressive, he did not say which pieces he would be aggressive for, and as I previously mentioned he told us where he wanted to add.

He thinks his top 6 and top 4 are good enough. He's assembled a true grinding line. He acquired legit goalie depth.

So in my mind the interesting debates for his roster construction are the following:

1. Are the top 6 forwards good enough? (Tage/Tuch/Peterka/Cozens/Quinn/Benson)
2. Are the top 4 dmen good enough?
3. Can Krebs handle the 3C role? (I was going to ask "Is it smart that KA assumes he'll be able to handle that role", but I think we know what everyone's response to that would be)

Just thinking about #1, I like the top 6. I think Benson is gonna blow up, people may think I'm delusional but I think he's a 60 point player this year. And Quinn was my prediction for our breakout player last year before he got injured. So if (and that's a big if), they can stay healthy, there's a very real chance that Skinner's and Mitts' production can be compensated by those two.

I was someone that was hoping he would bring in a top 6 player BEFORE Skinner was bought out/shopped for a trade. We needed a little bit of punch in the top 6 before the offseason began.

Now that Skinner is gone, with this roster, and their inconsistencies in play, I really don't think our top 6 is good enough to get us into the playoffs. As a whole I don't think our roster is good enough. I know we are getting Quinn, hopefully full strength and healthy, but there's a lot of offense, even if we had Skinner in the lineup that needs to happen to carry a bottom 6 that will have trouble producing. I like Benson's game, but he's going into his 2nd year, will be under a new head coach, and will need to find quite a few more gears to find a consistent offense. I have him in the 35-40 point range best case scenario.

I have confidence that the bottom 6 will provide a necessary role for the team, but I'm not counting on them for much, if any, production, which has been the issue for our team for years with our bottom 6.

The top 4 is good enough to have an effective transition game, which could/should help out, but depending on how much Ruff activates them in the offensive zone will be a huge factor. Depending how the top 4 is arranged, will also play a key role in how effective they are as a team. I would've liked an actual vet in our top 4 with playoff experience where they were key factors, instead of someone being a support player (if you know where I'm getting at).

Krebs at 3C and his role will depend on what Ruff decides to use him as. If you're looking at Krebs in the sort of 06-07 Roy role on the kid line, I think Krebs can find a decent level there. If Ruff will be using him as a role for matchup purposes (especially Defensively), Krebs will probably struggle.

While I think Ruff will have to work quite a bit of magic, the issues from the years hasn't just been coaching. It's also been the inconsistencies of the players, their inability or refusal to attack the high value areas of the ice often times (which can be attributed to who they are as players). As much as Ruff can help with the structure for the teams(which isn't a strength of his IMO), and unless he's motivating them so much they will run through a brick wall for him, the players changing the way they attack games at a consistent level will have by far the greatest impact on their success.

 

[Jacob582]

I've been beating the drum for Krebs to take on the 3C forever but now that it's a reality, I'm a bit scared.

I'm more concerned about Zucker being on the second line, though. That's far less enticing.

Krebs as 3C is less enticing to me.

But he's got a great opportunity if he comes in prepared to take two steps forward.

 

[Jim Bob]

That's only $600k more than I said, and doesn't change the fact that he will still need to pay 2/3 of Skinner's contract to play for someone else; eventually. He would save another $4M to have that spot filled by Savoie or Kulich.

And there are enough rumors out their to suggest they tried to get a Necas, Ehlers, Buchnevich and the trading team was asking for too much in assets. Its not that they weren't willing to pay them in salary. Acquiring any of them would have cost plenty in a new contract.

Its not the money they want to save with Skinner's buyout. They want to fill his roster spot with someone better. If they couldn't get a trade partner, they at least have someone in Zucker that can play the 3rd line minutes that Skinner was getting to end the season. Skinner didn't have a top 6 role when the season ended and now we have someone that could play top 6 or bottom 6 much better.

Where do the Sabres rank in the NHL is actual cash spent on the NHL roster over the past 5 seasons?

I bet that they are well into the bottom 25% of the NHL in cash spent on the roster over that timeframe.

To act like there are not legit questions of whether or not there is an internal player salary budget since the Botterill firing for refusal to layoff massive amounts of front office employees is a choice.

 

[enthusiast]

Kim Pegula actually told us what the family’s priorities are herself, and high among those priorities is maintaining their lifestyle. It’s not daft or overly pessimistic to assume she was telling the truth.

 

[Chainshot]

Kim Pegula actually told us what the family’s priorities are herself, and high among those priorities is maintaining their lifestyle. It’s not daft or overly pessimistic to assume she was telling the truth.

When people share you who they are, believe them. That’s one of the things I’ve gotten from therapy over the years.